Improvement in spring-beds



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

B. S. HARBINGTON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPRING-BEDS.

Specification forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 56,216, dated July 10, 1866.

To all 'whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, BARZILLA S. EARRING- TON, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Spring-Bed; and I hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, of which- Figure l is a bottom view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the invention. Fig. 4 is a section of part of lever and its spring. y

The letters a. a tt a represent the posts of the bedstead; b b b b, the bars of the bedstead; c c c, 85o., spring-slats, and (l d their cross-bars; e e, the levers; ff, their fulcrums; g g, their springs; h h, the tubes to hold the springs. l

The nature of my invention consists in providing a bed with springs attached to the side bars of the bedstead, and operated upon by bent levers in such a manner that the spring or yielding of the bed, when pressed upon, shall be uniform in its action.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the invention, I will proceed to explain its construction and operation.

The great difficulty met with most commonly in spring-beds, Whether in regard to spiral springs or spring-slats, where the strain is upon one particular part of the bed, is that constant s trainupon a particular part soon weakens the spring, and the bed becomes uneven, and, of course, less agreeable in its spring action.

My invention avoids this tendency to weakness in the spring action in a particular part of the bed, and gives uniformity in its spring movement.

I construct the frame of the bedstead-that is, the posts and bars joined together-in any of the usual forms, whether of wood or of iron. I use slats also of the ordinary length and thickness, running lengthwise of the bedstead, but screwed or fastened iirmly to the b ars d d at each extremity of the bed. (See Fig. 1 in the accompanying-drawings.)

To the long bars of the bedstead b b, on the inside, I fasten, by screws or otherwise, the bent levers c e e e, of the form seen in Fig. 2

in drawings. These screws or fastenings f f, Sto.. act as fulcrums. To the sides of the same bars I also fasten tubes or sockets h h, Ste., containing spiral springs.

The tubes are open at the bottom and have slots on opposite sides, so that the lower arms of the levers press upward upon the spiral springs through these slots. I also place small pins above the upper arms of the levers, to prevent any dropping down of the levers when there is no pressure from above. (See the forms and method of fastening tubes and springs in Figs. 2, 3. and 4 in drawings.)

Fig. 4 shows the action of the lever pressing upward upon the spiral spring; but I do not confine myself to the spiral spring in socket, as here shown, but may use any of the known forms of springs fastened to the sides of the bars and ypressed upon by levers in the manner herein shown; also, by raising or lowering the fulcrums or lengthening the arms of the levers the head of the bed may be placed higher or lower at pleasure. I also design to have metallic plates fastened to the under side of the bars d d, where the arms of the levers press against them, to prevent wearin g in case the bars are made of wood.

This form of bed-sprin g combines excellency and uniformity of spring with cheapness in construction. In addition to the springs fastened to the sides of the bars, the slats also possess considerable spring, thus` making the spring of the bed more easy. The bed-bottom or slats fastened to bars resting upon springs made in this way can be gotten up very cheaply. The four springs with the levers also can be mademuch cheaper than the springs commonly used, so that this bed will cost less than any other form now in use.

What I claim as my invention., and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A spring-bed the springs of which are fastened to the sides of the bars b b, and are operated upon by bent levers in such a way that the bed-bottom presses upon one arm of the levers, causing the other arm of said levers to press upon the springs, substantially in the manner and for the purpose setforth.

B. S. HARRINGTON.

Witnesses:

WM. T. GARDNER, J. L. NEWTON. 

